MLB.com's Carrie Muskat has been covering Major League Baseball since 1981 and is the author of "Banks to Sandberg to Grace: Five Decades of Love and Frustration with the Cubs." You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat. Here, she blogs about the Cubs.

Carlos Villanueva gave up one run on four hits over three innings, and that was a solo home run by Pablo Sandoval, in the Cubs’ 9-7 loss to the Giants on Saturday. Brett Jackson doubled and scored on Matt Szczur’s sacrifice fly in the eighth. Steve Clevenger, starting at first base, hit two RBI singles. Logan Watkins added a RBI double and Jackson had a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Brian Bogusevic also had two hits.

“I’m satisfied, even with the home run allowed,” Villanueva said. “It’s the best I’ve felt and I had better rhythm that [third] inning. Sometimes you have to tip your cap [to Sandoval]. I’d rather tip now in spring than in the regular season. It’s a better day but still have work to do.”

Sandoval hit a pitch that was ankle high.

“It was exactly where I wanted to throw it,” Villanueva said, shaking his head.

* On Sunday, the Cubs will play split-squad games, sending half the team to Tempe to face the Angels, and the other half will play the Brewers at HoHoKam. Yovanni Gallardo had been scheduled to face the Cubs in Mesa but was scratched because of a groin strain. Edwin Jackson will start for the Cubs. This will be Anthony Rizzo’s last game with the Cubs before joining Team Italy for the World Baseball Classic. According to their respective Twitter accounts, Albert Almora and Daniel Vogelbach will be on the travel squad for one of the Cubs’ teams on Sunday. Almora, the Cubs’ No. 1 Draft pick last year, said he’s going to be playing in Tempe.

The Cubs bunt tournament will resume on Sunday with Anthony Rizzo facing Logan Watkins. Rizzo then leaves the Cubs to join Team Italy for the World Baseball Classic. There will be three matches on Monday. A portion of the prize money will go to the family of Tom Pratt, a Cubs Minor League coach who passed away last year.

Logan Watkins may never eat guacamole again but at least he’s tried it. Just don’t ask the Cubs infielder to eat plain oatmeal or blueberry pie again. Watkins and Dale Sveum first discussed food in January at the rookie development camp in Chicago. A 21st round pick in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, Watkins felt fortunate to sit next to the Cubs manager at a dinner. Then his fortune changed.

“He noticed I wasn’t exactly grabbing everything to eat on the table,” Watkins said of Sveum.

Watkins doesn’t have dietary restrictions, just a limited palate.

“Sure enough, we struck up a great conversation where I told him everything,” Watkins said.

What Watkins, 23, revealed was all the things he’d never eaten, including chocolate milk, apple pie and guacamole. Sveum was amazed, and for the past week, he’s done daily taste tests with Watkins. Before every team meeting at HoHoKam Park, Sveum would walk into the room, carrying a covered plate. He’d make eye contact with Watkins. The manager would go over the workout plan for the day, and then the infielder would be asked to come up to a table in the middle of the room to eat whatever surprise Sveum had.

Last Saturday, it was chocolate milk. On Sunday, it was an orange, which Watkins had to peel. Monday was plain yogurt with berries. Tuesday was blueberry pie, and that wasn’t good. Watkins got one day off because they ran out of time. On Thursday, he had plain oatmeal, which he called “terrible.”

Friday was the last day, and that’s when Sveum presented the guacamole. Watkins had been dreading that.

“Just on strictly appearance, I wasn’t a fan of guacamole,” Watkins said. “I’m still not a fan. It had no taste. That’s probably the last time I’ll try it.”

It wasn’t the mushy texture or the green color that was the problem.

“It had no taste,” Watkins said.

But it wasn’t the worst.

“Oatmeal took the cake,” Watkins said. “Blueberry pie was a close second. Everything else was not bad, I guess.”

Would he eat any of the foods again?

“Chocolate milk or yogurt would be the only two I’d consider,” he said. “The berries were OK.”

Watkins is a steak and potatoes kind of guy.

“My favorite food is bread, like a roll from ‘Texas Roadhouse,'” he said.

He’s even adventurous enough to put butter on them.

“I just kind of stay in my own lane and eat the same thing over and over again,” Watkins said. “[My family] didn’t bring me up to eat like that but that’s the way I grew up.”

It’s not that he had a bad reaction to anything he ate or endured a bout of food poisoning.

“It’s more that I’d never tried it because I never felt like it kind of thing,” he said.

Watkins was the Cubs’ 2012 Minor League Player of the Year, and this is his first big league spring camp. It’s one he and his stomach won’t forget. What does he eat in the Minors?

“I eat a lot of peanut butter sandwiches because that’s there every day, and I’ll eat it every day,” he said. “Or chicken. I like chicken.”

The teasing was good natured, and Watkins handled it well, even if his tummy didn’t.

“I’m glad everybody got as much enjoyment out of it as they did because I didn’t,” he said. “It’s OK. It’s over now.”

Watkins can focus on prepping for the season and on the team bunt tournament. The young infielder has been impressive in that.

“I’m pretty excited,” Watkins said after the last taste test. “It’s over, and now I can concentrate on hitting.”

Logan Watkins continued to impress and strength coach Tim Buss advanced in the Cubs bunting tournament on Wednesday. Watkins ousted Scott Hairston, who tried to beat the young infielder by aiming for the 100-point spot on the field in the final round. It didn’t work. Buss beat pitcher Scott Baker to advance, and will face Chris Rusin in the next round. Watkins now faces Anthony Rizzo, who beat Ian Stewart.

The Cubs selected the contracts of four players, including Logan Watkins, the Minor League Player of the Year, and added them to the 40-man roster but also designated All-Star Bryan LaHair for assignment. Besides Watkins, right-handed pitcher Trey McNutt, infielder Christian Villanueva and right-handed pitcher Robert Whitenack were added to the Cubs’ roster, which is now at 40.

Tuesday was the deadline for Major League teams to protect eligible prospects from next month’s Rule 5 Draft. Among the players left unprotected were right-hander Nick Struck, who was the organization’s 2012 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

The Cubs are pursuing an opportunity for LaHair, 30, with a Japanese team. He batted .259 with 16 home runs and 40 RBIs in 130 games but lost the first base job to rookie Anthony Rizzo. LaHair batted .390 in April with five home runs and 14 RBIs, but then struggled. Rizzo was promoted from Triple-A Iowa on June 26, and won National League Rookie of the Month honors in July by batting .330 with seven home runs and 17 RBIs. LaHair did consider playing in Japan after the 2011 season if he couldn’t get regular at-bats.

The Cubs also announced right-handed pitcher Carlos Gutierrez, 26, who was claimed off waivers from the Twins Oct. 24, has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa.

Today is the deadline for Major League teams to file their reserve lists and set their 40-man rosters prior to the Rule 5 Draft, which will be held Dec. 6. The Cubs’ 40-man roster is at 39.

Players who have been in the Cubs’ Minor League system for four years and were 19 years old or older on June 5 the year they were drafted are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft. If a player was 18 or younger on June 5 of his Draft year, that player becomes eligible after five years.

Among the names of players who could be selected are Logan Watkins and Nick Struck, who were picked as the Cubs’ Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, in 2012. Here’s a list of Cubs prospects eligible for Rule 5 Draft. We’ll update later when the team announces any changes to the roster:

The Mesa Solar Sox ended the Arizona Fall League season on Thursday with an 8-3 loss to Phoenix. Cubs prospect Matt Szczur was 0-for-4, and finished his AFL stint batting .264. Logan Watkins, a late add to take Javier Baez’s place on the roster, batted .219 in nine games, and Rubi Silva batted .206 in 20 games. Among the Cubs pitching prospects who took part, Dae-Eun Rhee posted a 6.27 ERA in six games, giving up 13 earned runs over 18 2/3 innings in six starts. Nick Struck, the Cubs’ Minor League pitcher of the year, compiled a 5.51 ERA in 12 appearances, giving up 10 earned runs on 12 hits and 12 walks over 16 1/3 innings. Kevin Rhoderick served up five runs on seven hits and struck out 14 over 9 1/3 innings. Tony Zych posted a 3.86 ERA in 13 games, giving up 18 hits and walking two over 14 innings. Peoria and Salt River will play for the AFL championship on Saturday at Scottsdale Stadium.

Rubi Silva had two hits, Matt Szczur scored two runs and was 1-for-4 and Logan Watkins scored another run but it wasn’t enough as the Mesa Solar Sox lost 10-8 to Surprise in Arizona Fall League play on Tuesday. Silva and Szczur each hit RBI singles in the loss. On Wednesday, Mesa travels to Scottsdale for a night game. First pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. MT.

* Logan Watkins drew three walks and scored one run but it wasn’t enough as the Mesa Solar Sox lost 8-4 to Salt River on Monday in Arizona Fall League play. Other Cubs prospects to play included pitchers Nick Struck, who gave up one earned run in one inning, and Tony Zych, who also gave up a run in one inning. On Tuesday, the Solar Sox play host to Surprise at HoHoKam Park, starting at 12:35 p.m. MT.

* Junior Lake was 2-for-2, scoring two runs and driving in another, for Estrellas de Oriente in Dominican Winter League play on Monday. Lake was batting .365. Esmailin Caridad has a 1.93 ERA in 15 games for Yaquis de Obregon in the Dominican. He’s struck out 23 and walked six over 18 2/3 innings.

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